The Nowra Bridge is a

road bridge A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually somethi ...

that carries the

Princes Highway Princes Highway is a major road in Australia, extending from Sydney via Melbourne to Adelaide through the states of New South Wales, Victoria (Australia), Victoria and South Australia. It has a length of (along Highway 1) or via the former ...

over the

Shoalhaven River The Shoalhaven River is a perennial river that rises from the Southern Tablelands and flows into an open mature wave dominated barrier estuary near Nowra on the South Coast of New South Wales, Australia. Location and features The Shoalhaven ...

, at

Nowra Nowra is a city in the South Coast region of New South Wales, Australia. It is located south-southwest of the state capital of Sydney (about as the crow flies). As of the 2021 census, Nowra has an estimated population of 22,584. Situated in th ...

in the

Shoalhaven Council The City of Shoalhaven is a local government area in the south-eastern coastal region of New South Wales, Australia. The area is about south of Sydney. The Princes Highway passes through the area, and the South Coast railway line traverses ...

local government area, on the

South Coast South Coast is a name often given to coastal areas to the south of a geographical region or major metropolitan area. Geographical Australia *South Coast (New South Wales), the coast of New South Wales, Australia, south of Sydney * South Coast (Q ...

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

, Australia. The bridge joins the main area of Nowra to North Nowra and

Bomaderry Bomaderry (locally known as "Bommo") is a town in the Shoalhaven council district area of New South Wales, Australia. At the , it had a population of 8,718 people. It is on the north shore of the Shoalhaven River, across the river from Nowra, the ...

Description

The bridge was originally intended to carry a double railway track, as part of the proposed extension of the

South Coast line The South Coast Line is an intercity rail service operated by NSW TrainLink that services the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia. The service runs from , and runs the entire length of the eponymous South Coast railway line to . Th ...

Jervis Bay Jervis Bay () is a oceanic bay and village on the south coast of New South Wales, Australia, said to possess the whitest sand in the world. A area of land around the southern headland of the bay is a territory of the Commonwealth of Australia ...

and possibly . However, the railway was never extended past Bomaderry station where trains still terminate today, so the bridge was converted for road traffic, as the residents of Nowra wanted a road bridge that connected Bomaderry to Nowra. The bridge was designed by American engineer Charles Shaler Smith and is considered to be of local historical significance. The bridge was completed in 1881 and is built from wrought iron with a steel approach span. The bridge had a timber deck for 100 years until in 1981 reinforced concrete was laid over steel Armco decking. The pairs of cast iron piers are original and were supplied locally by the Atlas Foundry, Sydney. It was the largest bridge project in New South Wales prior to the 1889 Hawkesbury River Railway Bridge. Its full length is . The two-lane bridge currently carries southbound traffic only. A newer concrete three-lane bridge opened in 1981 carries northbound traffic on the Princes Highway.

Replacement bridge

In August 2019

Infrastructure Australia Infrastructure Australia is an independent statutory body providing independent research and advice to all levels of government and industry on projects and reforms relating to investment in Australian infrastructure. It advocates for reforms on ...

approved the construction of a new four-lane bridge immediately to the west (upriver) of the existing bridges. This new bridge would become the new crossing for northbound traffic. The existing northbound bridge would be converted for southbound traffic, allowing the bridge built in 1881 to be re-purposed as a pedestrian and cycle bridge. The replacement bridge is expected to cost 342 million; with funding to be shared between the

Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has been synonymous with "republic". The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the ...

and

governments, and the private sector. Work commenced in early 2020 and is expected to be completed in 2024.

References

External links

Nowra Bridge
(Trove)
Bridge into Nowra over the Shoalhaven River
NLA Digital Collections
Nowra - Second Bridge Construction
by Sandown (Flickr) Bridges completed in 1881 Steel bridges in Australia Road bridges in New South Wales Truss bridges in Australia Shoalhaven River 1881 establishments in Australia Nowra, New South Wales {{NewSouthWales-struct-stub

Description

Replacement bridge

See also

References

External links